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Nearly eight decades later, a permanent honor has been attached to the city's history to ensure his story - one of Hazleton's finest - lives on.

City residents and government officials on Wednesday honored the life of Officer Ernesto "Nesty" Valente, who died in service at age 44, a risk officials say police officers take each day.

He was the only Hazleton officer to die on duty and his belated honors came 75 years to the day of his death as four of his surviving relatives listened. He was killed after a tragic accident in a busy business district.

The day of the accident

It was May 15, 1938, on Broad Street, Hazleton's thoroughfare in a bustling business district.

Valente, a good-humored, distinguished member of the Hazleton Police Department, was working in busy traffic at Broad and Church streets, just as he had for the past 17 years. When a cry for help sounded, he sprung into action as he normally would, according to newspaper accounts.

John Sotack, 8, of Harwood, was hit by a vehicle driven by Henry Lindner of Ringtown, according to the Plain Speaker, one of two city newspapers at the time. The boy suffered possible leg fractures. Police Chief Frank DeAndrea, speaking at the ceremony Wednesday, said the boy was hit while playing in traffic.

Lindner began to take Sotack to the hospital but traffic was thick with pedestrians, horses, vehicles and wagons.

Lindner flagged down Valente, according to the Plain Speaker, who jumped on the vehicle's running board and blowing his whistle, cleared the way for the car as it continued east on Broad Street to the Hazleton State Hospital, several blocks away.

At Broad and Wyoming streets, Lindner faced a red light and a wagon driving south on Wyoming and hit his brakes hard.

Valente was thrown from the vehicle.

His fellow officers, Patrolman (no first name provided) Bloesing, who was on duty at the intersection and Patrolmen Stanley Croll and Charles Kapes rushed to Valente and took him to the hospital in a taxi, the paper wrote, where Valente died.

The boy survived, DeAndrea said.

The newspaper said his death came as a "great shock" to the entire community. Valente was also one of the oldest members of the department, hired in April 1921 and a "capable" traffic officer who had not one blemish on his record.

Valente, of 323 E. Diamond Ave., left behind his wife and two daughters. He was honored for his heroics at the time of his death with an honor guard, words and gestures.

Though his story was passed down through some families over the generations, nothing permanent commemorated the only Hazleton police officer who died in the line of duty.

Relatives accept honor

Among his relatives still living in Hazleton are his great nephew, Dr. Tony Valente, Tony's mother, Theresa, and cousins Tony Colombo and Lucille Dorneman. All four were in attendance Wednesday.

Theresa was 15 when the famed police officer died. Though living only a few blocks away from him, she hadn't yet met and married the police officer's relative. Theresa said the family plans to contact Nesty's family, now living outside Hazleton, to share the honors he was bestowed Wednesday.

Dorneman said Nesty's wife and daughters moved to New Jersey after he died but the family would still visit family in Hazleton every summer.

Though he never met Nesty, Tony Valente grew up hearing the story of a relative who died protecting others. It was a story shared through the generations of his family. DeAndrea said as a 6-year-old he remembers his grandfather, John Colombo, telling him a story about his friend "Nesty" and the accident that claimed his life.

When he became police chief last year, DeAndrea said he could not believe that Valente had been forgotten and said he made it his duty to make sure Valente's story lived on.

Valente gave his life to help a young boy, Mayor Joseph Yannuzzi said at Wednesday's service and plaque unveiling honoring Valente.

Yannuzzi said President John F. Kennedy in 1962 declared May 15 National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week Police Week. Yannuzzi offered a proclamation naming May 15 Hazleton Police Memorial Day. A ceremony honoring police and Valente will be held annually, he said. He encouraged residents to also thank police officers this week for their service.

State Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, Nanticoke said Valente put the child's safety before his own. He said 20,000 officers gave their lives on duty in the United States and 738 of them are from Pennsylvania. He said he wanted all police officers to know their work does not go unnoticed.

Sam Sanguedolce, first assistant Luzerne County district attorney, said police officers are expected to be many things: clairvoyant, referees and doctors at work and expert witnesses in various aspects of the law, in the courtroom.

But, he said, what is often not noticed is the daily risk. On behalf of the district attorney's office and himself, Sanguedolce joined other speakers in thanking police for being, "that expert, that doctor, that referee."

State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-115, Butler Township, said every day officers leave their homes for work, they put their lives at risk. She encouraged people to tell their children Valente's story to keep his memory alive.

Along with Toohil, Yudichak handed a citation honoring Valente to his surviving family.

Prayer was offered by the Rev. Thomas Cappelloni, the laying of the wreath and a 21-gun salute was conducted by Hazleton police.

The National Anthem was sung by Allison Leonard, as officers from Hazleton and surrounding communities saluted an American Flag flown at half staff. Luzerne County Detective Chris Lynch played Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.

achristman@standardspeaker.com

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